virtual assistants

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New Member

I've noticed that listings for virtual assistants are getting increasingly more demanding in terms of skills (social media, search engine marketing, graphics, web design, programming in addition to office admin stuff) without offering more money. How do they expect someone to have all those skills and charge $11/hr ?

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Member

It's ridiculous how such experienced people can only attract a small salary like that. It's pretty obvious that those kinds of people deserve more, but some companies are greedy. The other companies simply cannot afford to pay any more.

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Premium Member

Premium Member

Unfortunately one of the impacts of the global recession is that companies are paying less for all kinds of products and services. This also includes the amount that they can or will pay for labour, whether that be people they outsource to or employ directly. Most of us are feeling the effect of this in one way or another and have seen our income levels drop. Another consequence, is that lots of businesses have reduced the number of their employees or closed completely, resulting in many people losing their jobs.

The best we can do is work hard at upskilling ourselves, so that we can provide greater value to our clients or employers and hence command a more secure and higher payment in return.

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New Member

"upskilling" is good but you can't be great at everything...I think there's a future in networks of virtual assistants working coopertively to complete large projects with each member of a team performing within their skill set

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Member

You also have to take into account too that USD$11 an hour is worth far more to someone working out of Delhi than Delaware.

While I agree with you that the skill demands are disproportionate to the salary offered, I also agree with Fergal. It's now a global marketplace. No employer is constrained within their state, country or even continent anymore. To compete we need to be upgrading our skills to meet that marketplace's demands.

The problem with having a large team of members is the same one it always is - communication. Especially if the team is scattered all over the world in different time zones. That's why they want the whole package wrapped up in one. Then they have one point of contact that knows exactly what's going on at any given time. Quite honestly I think some just pull out a list of buzzwords they have heard and add it to the job spec without having the faintest idea what they are asking for.

Anyone capable of being all things to all men like that should indeed command a higher salary. You'll get no argument from me there because they would be worth their weight in gold. It's up to them to hold out for that salary and be willing to risk the job going elsewhere. The way I look at is if you're that good, you can afford to let those jobs slide by where they don't appreciate your worth, and should too.

And to expect a virtual assistant to have programming skills is ludicrous. They are completely different career paths. That's like expecting a plumber to be an electrician.

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Active Member

It is possible because some of the country have lower living standard. For example, $11/hrs and daily work 8 hours for 20 days per month, you can get about 1.7+K, this might not be a very good salary for the Euro or US member, but it is very good for some asia country.
Some of the country, member with those skill work at the local company can only get about $500 per month.

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New Member

"upskilling" is good but you can't be great at everything...I think there's a future in networks of virtual assistants working cooperatively to complete large projects with each member of a team performing within their skill set

The problem with having a large team of members is the same one it always is - communication. Especially if the team is scattered all over the world in different time zones. That's why they want the whole package wrapped up in one.

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I definitely agree here SissyBard! I agree with Kay: they must be a close knit group of individuals. I think it works for us but we are in contact with each other almost constantly. I love having partners.

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New Member

Yes, you can hire a VA for $11 per hour - even much lower - but in the end it will cost them more. Quality has its price regardless how the economy is doing. Working in the off-site staffing industry with many clients, employers don't like to buy employees or time-sheets. Employers are business owners having to feed their bottom line. They want to buy results. ...and they are willing to pay for results. They don't care if it took you 4 or 40 hours to complete the task. As long as you provide results to your clients...

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Member

I've noticed that listings for virtual assistants are getting increasingly more demanding in terms of skills (social media, search engine marketing, graphics, web design, programming in addition to office admin stuff) without offering more money. How do they expect someone to have all those skills and charge $11/hr ?

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$11/hour is much too low for someone with this skill set.

If any VA's possess these skills and aren't being paid upward of $50/hour -- I suggest re-branding yourself. Come into the market place as an SEO/SEM, or graphics person, etc. and triple your rate, at least.

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New Member

I've noticed that listings for virtual assistants are getting increasingly more demanding in terms of skills (social media, search engine marketing, graphics, web design, programming in addition to office admin stuff) without offering more money. How do they expect someone to have all those skills and charge $11/hr ?

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If you position yourself in the same way as a lot of other people then the rate is going to go down. Becoming a jack of all trades is a sure fire way of devaluing your proposition. Specialise and focus on niche areas and you will see that your rate can climb quite easily.

There are always going to be people who try to offer everything. Be the person that offers one thing better then anyone else. That way you will stand out from the crowd and command much higher returns for your work.

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New Member

I'm Clarizze a VA (Virtual Assistant) working on Trepedat Talent ( Online personal assistant company). My services range from typing, emailing, appointment making, personal reminding, faxing, telephone reception, travel arrangements, data entry to anything else that could be done in my home office and delivered to your computer or through mail. I am here to work for you with strong confidentiality. My focus is on accuracy and time management. I can work any hours that are required to get the job to the completion stage. I am waiting to hear from you and to start making your work load a lot easier for you.

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Member

I've recently been looking into this job role just out of interest and it seems the job is so demanding, not paid well enough and as a virtual assistant you're not treated that well. Maybe it's a flexible role and good when you have other commitments but like some other people in the thread I don't understand why not just apply for a permanent position in a company? job security and a better salary?

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New Member

I think most companies nowadays choose to hire a Filipino virtual assistants because Filipinos are hardworking, honest and can work with minimum supervision.

A virtual assistant is one who typically works from home, doing various clerical and administrative tasks for individuals and companies. To become a good virtual assistants we need to have this what we called the virtual assistant tools. These tools can help virtual assistants work better with their clients and be more productive in their work. Here's a short list of the most useful tools for virtual assistants. http://www.timedoctor.com/blog/2011/01/19/virtual-office-software

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